Mallikarjun Kharge

Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian politician. He is the Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha from 17 December 2022. He is the Minister of Railways and Minister of Labour and Employment. Kharge is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) political party. He was a Member of Parliament for Gulbarga, Karnataka from 2009 to 2019. On October 19, 2022, Kharge was elected as the President of the Congress Party.

Early life and education
Mallikarjun Kharge was born on 21 July 1942 in Varavatti village, which is in Kalaburagi district (formerly Gulbarga) in Karnataka, India. He belonged to a poor family and faced many difficulties in his early life. His family belonged to the Dalit community, which faced social and economic challenges in India.
He studied at Government College, Gulbarga and later earned a law degree from Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College. Before entering politics, Kharge worked as a lawyer and helped people with labour and land issues.

Political career
Kharge started his political career in the 1960s by joining the Indian National Congress. He was first elected as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1972 from Gurmitkal constituency. He won nine consecutive times in state elections, which made him one of the most successful politicians in Karnataka. 

During his long political career, Kharge held many positions in the Karnataka state government, such as:

 Minister for Education

 Minister of Home Affairs

 Minister of Water Resources

 Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly

National politics
In 2009, Kharge was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) from Gulbarga. He was re-elected in 2014. During his time in the central government, he served as:

 Minister of Labour and Employment (2009–2013)

 Minister of Railways (2013–2014)

He was known for his speeches in Parliament and for standing up for workers’ rights and social justice.

Rajya Sabha and party leadership
After losing the 2019 general election from Gulbarga, Kharge was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020. On 17 December 2022, he became the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. 

On 19 October 2022, he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress,   becoming the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to hold the post in over two decades.

Personal life
Kharge is married to Radhabai Kharge, and they have children. One of his sons, Priyank Kharge, is also a politician and has served as a minister in the Karnataka state government.

References

Category:1942 births
Category:Living people
Category:Politicians from Karnataka
Category:Members of the Lok Sabha
Category:Members of the Rajya Sabha
Category:Presidents of the Indian National Congress
Category:Indian National Congress politicians